Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State may have dashed the hope of Samuel Onuh, the embattled LG boss of Ogbadibo over his ambition to distort the long-standing zoning formula in the state.
This is just as the governor has publicly declared that anyone banking on him ahead of the local council election would kiss the red dust as he has no anointed candidate.
Before now, Onuh had been parading himself as Ortom’s right hand man with the hope of snatching the party’s ticket from Itabono Ward I, which should originally produce the chairman.
The party had zoned the chairmanship stool to Owukpa and by every standard, Itabono Ward I is expected to produce the flagbearer.
The last elected chairman from Owukpa was Clement Agada, who is from Ehaje Ward I, same political ward with Onuh.
Already, Onuh has printed campaign materials where he juxtaposed his picture with Governor Ortom’s and tagged it ‘Princematic Ortomatic.’
To the amazement of Onuh, the governor on Saturday, during the expanded caucus meeting averred that he has no interest in any local government or any candidate as wrongly being claimed by some aspirants.
He affirmed, “I appeal to all of you to remain united. Those who have not benefited now can benefit tomorrow. We are happy that the PDP won Governor, 3 Senators out of three, 8 House of Representatives out of eleven, 22 House of Assembly members out of twenty three.
“Let no one tell you I am Ortom’s candidate or I am Ortom’s wife’s candidate. If I have interest in any local government, I will call stakeholders and tell them. I have no any candidate.”
On his part, former governor of the State, Sen. Gabriel Suswam, warned anyone parading himself as the governor’s anointed candidate to stop.
His words, “For us at the National Assembly, most of us have agreed with the party decision. You can make any woman strong politically even if you don’t have any strong woman from the above mentioned 7 LGCs. If Ortom has interest in any local government he will call stakeholders from that local government and address them, don’t listen to any person who comes to tell you that Ortom has selected a particular person. No election without discontent, we must remain party men and women.”